Chicago Skyline
Once Diva and I got the invite to Obedience Finals I started making plans on how I would fill our days while we were there. It just seemed to me that if you are going you might as well go big! I don't have as much time to trial as I would like so I need to make each and every opportunity count. I entered Diva in the PEN-NY ASC agility pre-trial, Nationals agility, Nationals stock (started ducks and cows), and Obedience Finals. In hindsight I could have piled on a bit more and still been fine but as it turned out I spent the first 2 days sick and the weather was such that I appreciated being able to hunker down and just watch Stock Finals that opening weekend.
Diva had been having issues popping out of the weaves at the 10th pole prior to leaving for WI so I wasn't sure what she would do while we were her. I had her adjusted by a chiro and wonder of all wonders she was hitting her weaves hard and sticking all week long. We had a few bobbles and a couple of runs where she just plain decided to give me the middle finger but overall I was pleased with how things went. I think that this is when I finally learned to enjoy the gamblers class and it's creative license ;). When the week was finished Diva and I came out with her RS-N, GS-N, and JS-O. One of her RS-N runs was also a 2nd place from a large class.
When Monday came around for Obedience finals I was about as nervous as I could get though I tried hard to not show it. For those who aren't familiar with the process you do two runs on the same day under two different judges and the average of those two runs is used. Each judge has a specific healing pattern that you do both on lead and then off as well as a recall,stand for exam, figure 8, and the stationary exercises (sit and down). Diva and I had a decent first run but between the first and 2nd runs I should have put her away to "rest". For some crazy reason just before going in for my second run Diva took an instant dislike to a woman that walked in the building. For those who know Diva this is NOT her style, she pretty much lacks any social reserve. Barking during agility is pretty much a given but suffice it to say that barking in an obedience building during finals is not! I had to get on her case and in turn I pretty much dialed down her enthusiasm. Diva and i went back in to the ring and it was very clear she was stressy and not having fun. We did get through but things that have never been an issue for her suddenly were and she was not very focused. Diva is a fairly consistent 195 dog but this time we walked away with a 189. When it was all said and done Diva and I finished in 7th place and we learned so much!
Recall
Posing for pictures
When I received my entry confirmations I had gotten a started cattle run and was on the wait list for started ducks. Prior to arriving in West Bend this seemed pretty exciting and I had a lot of confidence that we could handle the cows no problem. What I witnessed that first weekend of finals was an opener for sure! These cows were tough and they were fighting back, oh my! I got a lot of really neat actions shots during the excitement but I also went away concerned that I might not have enough dog to handle the situation. Started ended up running last on Friday so my hope was that after a week of being worked the cows would be a bit more settled. When Friday morning came around I was once again a bundle of nerves. I was set to run 13th but when the first dog finished and there were no others waiting they asked if I wanted to go ahead. I decided to go for it but by doing so I went before any of my traveling buddies had a chance to come down and watch.
It was a very surreal moment when they set the cows out and I first sent Diva. I had made up my mind that I would help her if she needed it because it wasn't worth getting her run over and losing confidence. As luck would have it (or maybe not so lucky?) I got a very nice group of cows that started up the fence line as soon as she moved in behind and barked. I assumed a parallel drive position and off we went. Diva pushed the cows through the first panel and then we did a nice cross drive to and through the second panels. The cows headed back to the draw and Diva went with them but I did not send her around to try and stop them. In my eyes it wasn't worth the danger factor at that point in her training. When I got to the re pen I opened the gate, sent her around, and she pushed them in. The gate closed and you would have thought I won the moon! I can't ever remember being more happy for Diva. She had stayed on contact, she pushed when needed, and we had successfully went around the course. Just as we were coming out my friends were arriving and I am sure that I was talking a million miles a minute with a huge grin on my face. Doing our first cattle run was such a high!
From there we went over to "watch" the started ducks. I thought that the week was over and it wasn't until Kelly came over and told me that they were calling my name from the stock office that I realized I was likely going to get a duck run. Diva had only ever been on ducks about 5 times for maybe a cumulative total of 45 minutes. She had never done a take pen with ducks and we had never practiced a course. As I sat with Diva on the golf cart and watched I kept thinking this was sure to be a disaster, lol. I would be happy with just the experience and not worry about a Q. Diva ended up doing a lovely calm take pen and while the rest of the run was a little fast and tricky we did manage to get around the course and re pen nicely. Our first nationals was officially in the book and we just had to wait for results!
When it was time for awards I was pretty certain that I had manged to get 2 Q's and that was enough to make me happy. What I wasn't prepared for was the bitter taste of disappointment when my cattle score was announced. The run I had thought went so well, the run that had left me giddy and elated, had only scored a 66. Given that very few people were around to see it and there were no comments written by the judge I can only speculate as to what went wrong. I have very little trialing experience but from my perspective as a started level handler/dog I thought it was better than that. You live and learn though and for every down there is also an up :). When the duck scores were announced Diva and I did earn a Q with a 77.
I left Wisconsin tired and very ready to see my family but also with a new sense of purpose and new goals. It was a roller coaster week but I enjoyed the time with my friends and their wonderful dogs. Many of them had tremendous successes and it was a privilege to be able to share those moments with them. 2012 is probably not in the cards for me (unless I win the lottery, lol) but I have big plans for 2103!
Photo taken by Anne Jespersen
Photos of ducks by Kelly Hughes
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